The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-10-13
UNOCCUpIED FIELDS.
DISCOURSE BY REV. DR.. TALMAGE
AT THE TABERNACLE.

DISCOURSE BY REV. DR.. TALMAGE
AT THE TABERNACLE.
The Churches Must Stop Bombarding
the Old IrOnclad Sinners-Why PeopI
Go Into kepticism-Northern Nations
Devastated by Alcoholism.
BROOKLYN, Oct. 9.-The audiences at
the Brooklyn Tabernacle this autumn are
larger than at any time during the his
tory of this church, and greater numbers
go away not able to get in. Led by cor
net and organ the congregation sang
with great power the hymn:
The morning light is breaking,
The darkness disappears,
The sons of men are waking
To penitential tears
The Rev. 7. De Witt Talmage, d. D.,
read and explained passages Of Scripture
concerning the dawn of universal right
eousness. The subject of his sermon was
"Unoccupied Fields,' and the text from
Romans XIV, 20: LEST l should build
upon another mans foundation. Dr..
Talmage said:
Stirring reports come from all parts of
America showing what great work the
churches of God are doing and | con-
gratuate them and their pastors. Mis-
apprehensions have been going the
rounds, saying that the outside benevo-
lences Of this particular church are neg
lected, when the fact is that large sums
OF money are being raised in various
ways by this church for all styles of good
81, ,1rl, h. hC. do
OF our own denomination. This church
was built by all denominations of Chris
tians, and by many sections of this lind
and other lands, and that obligation mas
led US to raise money for many objects
not connected with our denominat on,
and this accounts for the fact that we
have not regularly contributed to all the
boards commended. But Irejoice in that
YOU have done. as church, magnificent
work. and am grateful that we have re-
,ceiged during the year, by the confession
of faith in Christ, 725 souls, which fact
| mention. not in boasting, but in defense
of this church, showing it has been
neither idle nor Inefficient. The most of
our accessions have been from the outside
world, so that, taking the idea of my
text, we have not been building on other
peoples foundations.
In laying out the plan of his missionary
tour Paul sought out town and cities
which had not yet been preached to. He
goes to COrinth, q city mentioned fOl
eolendor and vice, and Jerusalem, where
the priesthood and the Sanhedrim were
ready to leap with both feet upon the
Christian religion. He feels he has
especial work to do, and he means to dc
it. What WAS the result? The gran es1
life of usefulness that man ever lived
We modern Christian workers are moi
apt to initiate Paul. We build on an
0ther peoples foundations. If we ereC
a church we prefer to have it filed witt
families all of whom have been pious. d.
we gather Sabbath school class we wan
good boys and girls, hair combed, face
washed, manners attractive. SO a churcl
in this day is apt to be built out OF he
churches Some ministers spend all theI
time in fishing in other peoples ponds
and they throw the line into that churcl
pond,and jerk out Methodist, and throw
the line into another church pond ant
bring out Presbyterian, or there IS
religious row In some neighboring church
and a whole school of fish swim off from
that pond, and we take them all in witt
one sweep of the net. What is gained
Absolutely nothing for the general caus
of Christ. 1t is only as in an army, whel
"a regiment is transferred from one 0ivi
sion to another, from the Tennessee t
the Potomac.
What strengthens the army is new re
. cruits. What have always desired
that while we are courteous to those com
ing from other flocks, we build on
church not out of other churches, but on
of the world, lest we build on anothe
mans foundation. The fact is, this is
big world. When in our schoolboy Cay
we learned the diameter and ciTcumfel
ence of this planet, we did not learn hall
1t is the latitude and longitude and dian
eter and circumference of want and VIC
and sin that no figures can calculate
This one spiritual continent of wfetcheC
ness reaches across all zones, and if
were called to give its geographic;
boundary, would say it is bounded o
the north and south and east and west b
the great heart of Gods sympathy an
love. Oh, it is a great world. Since
O'Clock this morning 80, 800 persons hay
been born, and all these multiplied pOpI
lations are to be reached of the Go
pei. In England, or in our cas-
.ern American cities, we are bi
ing much crowded, and an acre
ground is Of great value, but out we
500 acres is small farm and 10000 acre
isno unusual possession. There is a va
field here and everywhere unOccupieC
plenty of room more, not building on al
other mans foundation.
We need as churches to stop bombar'
ing the old ironclad sinners that baV
been proof against thirty years of Christie
assault. Alas for that church whiC
lacks the spirit of evangelism, spendir
on one chandelier enough to light 81
souls TO glory, and in one carved pllii
enough TO have made a thousand me
s.pillars in the house of our God forever,
and doing less good than many log cab
sueeting house with tallow candles stu(
in wooden sockets and minister wi
has neYer seen college or known Il
difference between Greek and ChoCtaN
We need as churches to get into synp
thy with the great outside world, and
them know that none are so broke
hearted or hardly hestead that will n
be welcomed. No." says some fastit
Gus Christian, II don like to be crowd
in church. Don't put any one in II
pew My brother, what will you
in heaven? When a qaNat :.ialt II
4hat no man can number assemblies III
will put fifty in your pew. What a
the select few today assembled in t
Christian churches compared with t
lnielitier millions outside of them-S0(
600 in Brooklyn, but less than Ice Q
in the churches? Many of the chIu Il
are like hospital that should advt ii
that its patients must have not NJ
worse than toothache ''run-rOUnds, b
no broken heads, no crushed ankles,
fractured thighs. Give us for treatme
moderate sinners, velvet coated sirnC
and sinners with a gloss on. 1t as thou
aman had . farm of 3,0Cj acres ana I
q . e